Summer Coastal Crafts
June 23, 2023
You love to decorate in the coastal theme, but you don’t want your home to look like the thousands of others who enjoy the same décor. What do you do? You make your home stand out by creating things that no one else has.
For instance, you can create a coastal plate display by getting an old piece of wood, or a new piece of wood, that is at least 2” wider (one inch on either side) than the plates you wish to display. If you’re using a new piece of wood, you may wish to paint it, stain it, or white wash it. If it’s an old piece of wood, leaving it as you found it may be a good look, but you may have to sand it a little here and there, to ensure you don’t have something sticking out that may prevent the stand from working properly. Get matching palm tree cabinet knobs, or opt for sand dollars, seahorses, starfish--whatever you like--and lay out your plates to display, putting a mark for each cabinet knob, 1” less than the sides of the plates, make sure they’re level. Remember, your plate rack can be vertical, or horizontal, so decide on that before you mark your cabinet knob placings. Mount the cabinet knobs on the markings and then mount the board on the wall placing the mounting screws behind plates, then carefully put your plates into the display you just created.
One note of caution for your plate display: you may have to do a spacer of sorts if your plates are deeper than the half inch most cabinet knobs give you. Cut a small piece of wood (painted or stained the same as the big piece of wood), to put behind each cabinet knob to make sure the plates will not be unstable in the stand. This will require a longer screws for the cabinet knobs, so get those, too. You may wish to cut the pieces of wood into squares with slightly concave tops to help cradle the plates.
Another project you may tackle is a simple wall mounted jewelry box. Get a piece of board that is about ½” thick, and 10” wide and 24” long. Then get another board that is about ¼” thick, 3” tall and at least 22” long. You’ll need to cut that piece of wood into at least three pieces: two 6” pieces for the side pieces, and one 10” long for the front of the tray. You’ll also need a ¼” thick piece that’s 6.5”x10” for the bottom of the tray. Paint or finish all pieces before assembly.
Create a lidless box by nailing the ¼” pieces to the bottom of the 24” long piece of wood, following the drawing included. Choose a sand dollar, plumeria, or sea turtle cabinet knobs and decide where to put them. Do this by getting some of your favorite necklaces, bracelets, or watches and arrange them on the 24” long board, ensuring that your necklaces are fully extended while clasped so that they don’t fall into the tray. Arrange the cabinet knobs artfully (circles on drawing are suggestions) and mark the spots, remembering that your bracelets and watches don’t need as much length (but they may require a wider area), and attach the cabinet knobs. Find a stud in the wall and be sure that at least one side is mounted into a stud. We have suggested the places for mounting screws in red on the drawing. Hang your necklaces and bracelets, put your rings and earrings in the box.
I hope you will try one of these crafts. If you do, be sure to drop us a line with a picture of your finished project. Here at Costello Cabinet Knobs, we’re doing our best to make your coastal décor the most unique it can be.
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